


Breeding a Conspiracy

by Maquiskat (Lilahkat)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-22
Updated: 2011-06-22
Packaged: 2017-10-20 15:51:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilahkat/pseuds/Maquiskat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mutiny started not by the Maquis, but by the men of the crew.  Is it what it seems or are there other things behind the events on Voyager.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breeding a Conspiracy

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: In this universe, Endgame will never happen. Season 7, sometime after B'e finds out she's pregnant but before Joe Carey dies.

They met in darkness, swathed in leathers they had put away long ago. Twenty-five men of the Liberty.

"This has to change…" one of the voices cried out."It doesn't matter what the Captain says to them, she's leading by example and its affecting everyone on the ship."

Another voice joined the fray. "They're taking their cues from her…"

"It's going to be a long trip back if things keep up the way they are and we are going to be the oldest known Starfleet crew…" A dull roar surrounded them as each man in attendance but one added his concerns to those being voiced.

Finally as the din became too loud, too noticeable, the final voice was heard above the rest, "Enough… I understand your concerns and I agree with them." Now he had the attention of each and every man in the room. This was the one person they expected to reason with them, to convince them that the Captain was right. Everyone was certain that any teeth he'd had, had been long ago dulled on the Captain's Starfleet armor. "Our problem is that twenty-five people, no matter where we fall in the scheme of things, are not enough to cripple this ship. We need more people in agreement with us."

"How do we know we can trust them?" one of the voices countered. "A lot of those that are left are Starfleet, not Maquis."

"Listen to them; be their friends," the voice offered. "You'll know when the time is right, because they'll tell you."

A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd. "Now we can't go into this blind either… What we're discussing needs planning. We need someone to work out the physical ramifications to Voyager."

"I'll take care of that, Sir."

"Alright." The voice's owner looked around, and then spotted the Maquis he wanted. "You and I are going to start working on some new 'protocols' for Voyager. Ones that work in our favor."

=/\=

One by one, their numbers grew as man after man, disgusted, frustrated and worried, joined their ranks. Plans solidified. Their venue for meeting changed to the lowest decks of Voyager with only portions of their group in attendance. It was the day that Harry Kim joined their ranks that they knew it was time. He slipped into the crowd and moved towards their leader, a low buzz of concern filtering through the men there, wondering if he was friend or foe and knowing either way his appearance signaled the beginning of the end.

"Is this a private party," Harry looked around cautiously, "or can anyone join in?"

Their leader stepped forward, looking the young man up and down. "You know, if the Captain figured out what's going on, sending you to infiltrate our ranks had to be about the least believable person she could have sent."

"Really?" Harry looked grim. "I thought considering what's going on, I'd be far more believable than Tom Paris." The operations officer looked around unconcerned at the mass of men that moved forward threateningly. "But that's beside the point. She didn't send me. I just couldn't take another day of Megan Delaney." A sympathetic murmur ran through the crowd as hands patted the younger man on the back. When even the Delaney's were being affected, the situation was worse than they thought.

One of the Maquis sighed, "It has to stop...now. Captain..."

Their leader held his hands up above his head. "Alright, I agree. We've got as many people as we're going to. Now remember… This isn't about your sex lives, women turning you down, or anything else. This is about insuring that Voyager has another generation of crew to get us home." He paused. "Give me one more try at changing policy in a peaceful manner." A low groan filled the room. "If it doesn't work, I'll contact Harry on Gamma shift. Then we won't have to worry about taking the bridge, it will already be ours."

=/\=

Candles flickered as Chakotay cleared away the last of the dinner dishes from the table then carried the carafe of coffee to the couch where Kathryn had curled up, sipping from her cup. "Care for a warm up?"

A soft smile played at her lips and she leaned forward, holding out her cup. "Do you even need to ask, Cha-ko-tay?"

He smiled as he filled her cup once again then settled down opposite her, picking up his tea cup. "You can never tell when the winds are going to change, so I like to check rather than make a fool out of myself."

Kathryn chuckled, "I think it's a fairly safe bet that I will never turn down a cup of coffee."

"You can't conceive of a situation that might make you change your mind?" Chakotay's eyebrow arched slightly and he settled back against the couch.

Taking a gulp of the hot liquid, Kathryn appeared to consider his question. "I suppose they do exist…" A sly grin slipped onto her lips, "But as things stand, no. There have to be some advantages to being Captain, Chakotay." Her eyes twinkled slightly over the mug as she took another sip.

Chakotay smiled slightly. "I suppose there does…" He took a sip of his tea then set his cup down. "Did you hear the latest from the gossip mill?"

"No, of course not. If I heard it on my own then I wouldn't need you." Kathryn took another sip of her coffee, completely missing the slight hardening of her first officer's expression. "So what is my crew getting up to, Commander?"

Shaking his head, Chakotay met the Captain's gaze rather grimly. "It's what they aren't getting up to that's more telling than what they are. I'm afraid if things keep going like they are we're going to have to depend on two little girls and a teenage Borg drone to be Voyager's next generation."

Kathryn's brow furrowed, and then she stood and paced to her viewport. "What's brought this on, Chakotay?"

"Harry asked Megan Delaney to marry him and she turned him down again," Chakotay offered.

Janeway's eyes clouded with sympathy for her Operations officer. "Oh, poor Harry…" She shook her head. "Maybe things between Harry and Megan just aren't meant to be…"

"I'd be inclined to agree if it wasn't for the fact that I've heard similar tales from all over the ship." Chakotay stood and stepped up directly behind Kathryn so that he could watch her reflection in the viewport. "For some reason the women aboard Voyager, despite however serious their relationship may have become, are refusing to create permanent family units amongst other members of the crew."

Lips pursed in annoyance, Kathryn's eyes narrowed. "I can't very well order anyone aboard Voyager to pair off and breed, Chakotay. It's against Starfleet principles to interfere in the personal lives of its officers."

"Except when it comes to Starfleet Captains... Then protocol dictates the situation." Try as he might, Chakotay couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice as he spoke.

Kathryn whirled on him, her eyes narrowing. "If *this* is what this concern is about, Chakotay, then I'm disappointed in you. We've had this discussion. You know where my lines are drawn and why."

"Yes, to protect the crew. But what if heading off your perceived problems is causing more serious problems for the future?" Chakotay's tone echoed the desperation and worries of the men whom he spoke for without Kathryn's knowledge.

Nostrils flaring, Janeway fixed a deadly gaze on her executive officer. "I intend to be home long before Voyager needs another generation to crew her, Commander."

Chakotay started to argue that she couldn't possibly know how many more years it would take for them to get home, or at what rate they would need replacement crew. They'd been lucky so far, but who knew when that luck would run out. "Dismissed." Janeway's voice snapped through the air of her cabin, effectively cutting off any further discussion. Chakotay pulled himself to attention. "Aye, Captain." He stalked out of her quarters silently, then turned and headed towards the turbolift. He tapped his commbadge when he was far enough from her quarters that he could be certain she hadn't come after him for some reason. "Chakotay to Kim."

Harry's voice sounded completely unsurprised at the contact with the Commander so far into the Gamma shift. "Kim here, Sir."

"Proceed with the plan," Chakotay stepped into the turbolift. "I'm on my way to Engineering now to lock it down."

"Aye, Sir. Notifying our people all over the ship..." Harry's voice retained its grim tone, which comforted Chakotay somewhat. This was something they felt they had no choice but to do, it wasn't something that they would take pleasure in. "Kim out."

As the turbolift carried the Commander down to Engineering, there was one thing that was certain in his mind. The Voyager that Kathryn Janeway woke up on tomorrow would not be the same one she fell asleep on tonight.

=/\=

Stalking around her quarters, Janeway tried to push away the anger that Chakotay had triggered in her. Damn him anyway, why did he have to bring up things best left buried? Couldn't he understand that she was caught between a rock and a hard place? She didn't want him to wait for her. She didn't want him to ruin his life, give up his dreams of a family. Yet, she also couldn't bear to let him go. He was the only outlet 'Kathryn' had and even though she denied it, even to herself, she loved him.

In much the same way, Kathryn was stuck in a dilemma about her crew. She knew very well that her own restraint was the reason why, other than Lt. Paris and Lt. Torres, there weren't more family units coming into being on Voyager. In a way, it had given that pair a harmless outlet for their rebellious streaks, but for the other members of Voyager's crew, her restraint had become an unofficial disapproval of the pairing off that she and the Commander had predicted so many years ago. Even Tuvok had brought it to her attention recently. She regretted it, of course, it wasn't what she wanted for them, but no matter how she tried to show her approval of the crew making a life for themselves aboard Voyager, as long as her restraint remained, nothing changed.

The obvious solution was for her to put aside her restraint and to do what deep inside she knew she wanted to do. As tempting as it was, Kathryn knew she couldn't do that. She needed to keep focused on the goal ahead; the Captain had to remain dominant in her personality. There was no way with the losses she had suffered that Kathryn could send her lover into a dangerous situation as duty demanded. No, if she remained in command and got involved with Chakotay, they might as well put Voyager down on the next M-class planet that suited them and call it home because there was no way she would retain the edge she needed to get them to the Alpha Quadrant.

Of course, somehow, she could convince her crew that she approved of their liaisons, perhaps making life easier or nicer for couples, letting them know that their needs would be seen to aboard ship, but she hesitated to do so. Janeway told herself it was because she didn't want it seen as special treatment or for it to encourage ill considered pairings, but the truth in the matter was, when she allowed herself to see it, that she knew sooner or later if the other women aboard Voyager knew that she truly did approve of the pairing off, that it was only a matter of time before Chakotay was no longer hers. Not that she had ever acknowledged that he was hers, of course.

Pushing the disturbing thoughts out of her mind, Kathryn forced herself through the motions of getting ready for bed, then slipped into her nightgown and slipped beneath the blankets. She was lost in sleep quickly enough, but it was restless; disturbing dreams filling her mind as she tossed and turned all night.

=/\=

Morning came almost too quickly and with it the regrets of her harsh actions of the night before. As she prepared herself for her duty shift, Kathryn resolved to try to make amends with Chakotay once more. In actuality, he had only brought to her attention something Tuvok already had. His only misdeed had been being unable to keep his personal feelings out of the mix, and while it was out of bounds for a Starfleet Officer, given the circumstances she could certainly give him some leeway.

As she fastened her communicator to her jacket, Kathryn tapped it only to have it emit the annoying buzz it gave off when communications were down. A deep frown marred her face. As much as she appreciated Chakotay's handling of minor problems, a communications outage was something she would have wanted to be informed of. Breakfast with her first officer would have to wait; perhaps they could share a meal in her ready room later. Striding up to her cabin door, the Captain's frown got larger as the door refused to open. It took several minutes of disassembling the wall units to ascertain that the power to the door had been re-routed away from the mechanisms and only a few more after that to conclude that it had been done purposefully.

Banging her fists against the door, Kathryn vented her rage on the durasteel composite to no effect. A part of her hoped beyond hope that this wasn't what it appeared to be, that somehow Voyager had been taken during the night and her crew was fighting to liberate her and the ship even now, but deep inside of her there was a terrible certainty that she knew precisely what this was.

Mutiny.

=/\=

"She's awake, Commander." Harry looked over his shoulder at Chakotay, who nodded slightly.

Chakotay settled into the center seat, content to let Kathryn stew for the moment. "How is everything else going?"

"As well as can be expected," Harry replied, "Tuvok is confined to the brig, as are B'Elanna and Tom for the moment. The Captain is confined to her quarters. Seven is confined in Cargo Bay Two. We've shut the Doctor out of most systems until either we can alter his programming or convince him that what we're doing is for the best."

Closing his eyes for a moment to weigh his options, Chakotay stood and moved behind Harry. "I take it that the other female crewmembers are also confined for the moment?"

Harry nodded, "We're running in almost critical status. Unless some of the women agree with the new protocols and can return to duty, we're going to have to jury rig quite a few systems."

"This means at the very least, we have to have B'Elanna back." Chakotay nodded. "Transfer the new protocols to everyone's terminals; trigger it to notify you when they've read the document. When B'Elanna and Tom have read it, have them escorted to my ready room."

"The Captain and Tuvok, Sir?" Harry looked to him for a response.

Chakotay's brow furrowed as he thought it through. "Send it to their terminals as well, Harry. Just don't let them out of their cages yet."

=/\=

B'Elanna spun as the terminal in their cell came to life. "What the hell?" She stalked up to the data screen with Tom trailing behind her. Anything that distracted her from plotting Harry's demise was welcome relief. At this point, while he wanted to pound the little bastard flat as well, Harry was still his best friend.

"Protocol 35 Subsection A – Approved Duty Assignments for Female Crewmembers Within Childbearing Years…" Tom read aloud.

B'Elanna's fist came down on hard on the desk within their cell. "That sniveling p'taq! I can smell that coward of a disowned, disemboweled brother of mine all over this little plot."

=/\=

Tuvok calmly moved to the terminal and seated himself in front of its screen. Slowly he paged through the document that had appeared before him, his eyebrow climbing into his hairline.

"Indeed, interesting…"

=/\=

"And I thought this was the ship of the damned before." The Doctor settled down at his desk as the viewscreen came to life. "When the Captain gets a hold of the crew that plotted this we'll have the ship of the Valkyries… " As he read, both his eyebrows sought the relative safety of his hairline only to find they had no retreat. "Make that Valkyries and Eunuchs."

=/\=

Kathryn had settled down beside her door. To conserve strength, she told herself, but in reality it was because if she stayed very still and didn't allow herself to think then she didn't have to acknowledge what had happened. Not to mention who had likely engineered the situation.

A flash of light from her terminal drew her attention and she reluctantly stood to read what the screen held. She paged through the document, her eyes widening with every line she read. Suddenly she switched the screen off, screaming in frustration and picked up the nearest breakable object and heaved it against the door – the object in question happening to be her portable terminal.

That was followed by another and another, until the pile of shattered refuse against the door was nearly knee high and nothing more came readily to hand. Her fit of rage slowly dwindled and she collapsed to the floor, grinding her teeth and clenching her eyes tight, to prevent any un-captain-like shows of emotion that were trying to escape.

=/\=

It hurt. As much as this needed to be done, it hurt.

He knew he would loose the closeness that he had shared with Kathryn over this. She would be his, of course, but as much as he gained, he lost as well. Of course, if he hadn't joined in there would have been no telling where the mutiny would have lead to. Chakotay shivered slightly as he remembered the anger and the frustration in the men's eyes. The outcome could have been much worse for Kathryn if he hadn't betrayed her. Or at least that was what he told himself. Whether it was true or not was anyone's guess.

"Commander," Harry's voice broke the silence of the ready room, "Security is bringing up Lt. Torres and Lt. Paris."

Chakotay straightened his uniform and settled back in the chair. "Alright Harry, send them in when they get here."

He only had enough time to stand before B'Elanna came through the door like an enraged targ sow separated from her pups. "You spineless, sniveling bastard! How dare you? I don't care how many times she's said no to you, you have no right to force this on her. On any of us…"

Tom slipped his arms around B'Elanna's waist. "Come on B'e… No killing the Commander. That privilege needs to be saved for the Captain." The look in Paris's eyes pleaded for Chakotay to have a good reason for this, for any of it. Something that would let him sympathize with the unthinkable actions of his comrades.

"Sit down," Chakotay's voice took on the sharp command of a drill sergeant. "I doubt you're going to like why the rest of us felt compelled to take these actions, but you are going to hear me out."

B'Elanna snarled and her eyes narrowed, but she slowly lowered herself into the chair Tom pulled out for her. Tom settled beside her, keeping a reassuring hand on one of her shoulders. "Alright, we're sitting…"

"Did you know Megan turned Harry down?" Tom's eyes widened while B'Elanna's head dropped slightly.

Tom shook his head. "Oh hell. Poor Harry. I thought she'd jump at the…" The helmsman stopped for a moment to look at B'Elanna. "Wait a second… You knew she turned him down."

"I didn't know she turned him down… I knew that was what she was planning." B'Elanna frowned slightly. "She knew Harry was getting serious, but as much as she loves him, she didn't think it was right."

Tom scowled at his wife, "Didn't think it was right? Didn't you try to show her it was ok? I mean what about us? Our baby?"

"Of course I tried, Tom." B'Elanna stood and paced angrily. "They all seem to think we have different rules. It's ok for us, the Captain…"

"… has special rules for her rescues." Tom snarled and turned towards Chakotay. "And this has something to do with why you mutinied."

Chakotay leaned against the desk, "Not just me, Tom. About ninety percent of the men on Voyager have come to our side."

"So why did Megan say no? Exactly…" Tom looked between the other two occupants of the room, but Chakotay gestured towards B'Elanna.

"The Captain…" B'Elanna admitted. "A lot of the women aboard Voyager have decided that since the Captain isn't building a home or a family life here on Voyager, they shouldn't either."

Tom looked flabbergasted and settled back down into his chair. "Just because the Captain is holding herself to some sort of stupid rules that was never meant for a situation like ours, doesn't mean they should…"

"Look, I agree one hundred and ten percent, but that still doesn't give anyone the right to make those decisions for the Captain or any other woman aboard this crew." B'Elanna stormed up to the desk and locked gazes with Chakotay. "From what I gathered from your little manifesto, you're planning on breeding the Captain and any other woman on board like a common brood mare. If she doesn't kill you for it, Chakotay, I will."

Chakotay shook his head. "Not quite, B'Elanna. I know that might be what the protocols seemed like to you, but that's not the intention." He moved out from behind the desk and gently guided the half Klingon woman to the couch. "Think about it. Even with all the short cuts we've managed through the years we're still at least thirty to forty years away from the Alpha Quadrant. If we get lucky and lose as few people as we've managed so far, we're still going to need replacement crew before we're home. We can't depend on finding more shortcuts the way the Captain is."

Tom leaned forward, considering Chakotay's words. "Alright, but why not just point this out to the Captain rather than leading a revolt?"

Shaking his head sadly, Chakotay looked at Tom with sullen eyes. "Don't you think I tried, Tom? She's going to hate me after this. I know that. You know Kathryn… She can't consider that she may have to hand command of this vessel over to another generation before we see Earth again." The helmsman nodded sadly, acknowledging the truth in Chakotay's words. "B'e, think about it. In seven years, Voyager has had one child; one conceived in the Alpha Quadrant. Now we have a second child on the way -- yours. You and Tom are the only people who've gotten married. The rest of the women are following in the Captain's footsteps through some misguided sense of loyalty." He took B'Elanna's hands in his own. "Do you want your little one to grow up with only Naomi, some adults and Flotter for playmates? Before you know it Naomi will be a teenager thanks to Ktarian genetics, so she won't even be a playmate for your child. I know we've done alright with Naomi, but think about your baby's future after that. Will there be anyone suitable for her to date, or is she going to be reduced to chasing teenage Irishmen in Fair Haven?"

"You know I really regret having programmed that place." Tom sighed then looked at Chakotay, while B'Elanna was still lost in thought. "So exactly what do the new rules mean?"

Taking a breath, Chakotay turned towards Tom. "Mainly simple things. Basically, men are expendable really when it comes down to it. A few of us can ensure a new generation. The women aren't. So away teams to hazardous or unknown environments would be duties restricted to men. Once a planet is deemed reasonably safe, then female crewmembers will be allowed to join away parties." Tom scowled not liking the thought of anyone but him with B'Elanna, but as he looked at Chakotay he knew that the Commander had the same thoughts and was dealing with them.

"And the breeding?" Tom got to the heart of the matter.

Chakotay met his gaze, "I'm not going to lie and say it isn't going to happen. We've planned a staged removal of all contraceptive implants in both the men and women on Voyager." He turned and looked out the viewport. "Any long term standing relationships will be honored. Any woman not in a relationship will be allowed to choose her own partner."

"You realize that the Captain isn't going to pick you after what you've done, don't you?" B'Elanna fixed a steady gaze on Chakotay.

For a moment silence reigned then Chakotay spoke again, "The Captain is a special case, B'Elanna."

"Special case my ass. You're just determined to have her so she's a special case…" The engineer's rage returned full force.

Voyager's first officer stood and stalked up to his long time friend, "Do you honestly think anyone else is going to put up with her shit for long before doing something stupid? Do you think she wouldn't intimidate anyone else on this crew but me or Tuvok into doing exactly whatever the hell she pleased? And since Tuvok isn't onside, I'm sure as hell not putting him anywhere near her. You may not like this, B'Elanna, but don't color me stupid. I didn't get involved in this to do something stupid so it would fail. Kathryn is mine because I'm the only one who can stand up to her and maybe eventually convince her that there's some merit to the situation."

The half Klingon's fists balled up with rage, but instead of striking out she moved away from him. Going to the viewport and looking out into the stars beyond. "I don't like it, Chakotay. I don't like any of it. I know you're right, but how you're doing it is all wrong." She shook her head.

"There isn't any other way. She won't listen, B'e," Chakotay pleaded.

"We won't cause trouble, but I won't help you either; at least not until things settle out." B'Elanna faced her old friend, somewhat ashamed. At one time, he had held her back from attacking the Captain, now it was all she could do not to attack him to defend that same woman. When had she forsaken his friendship for loyalty to the Captain? "When things settle down, then I'll learn to live inside your new rules. They make sense in some ways. I don't like them, but for the sake of our baby and Voyager, I'll abide by them."

Chakotay nodded solemnly, accepting her at her word. It was less than he'd hoped for, but more than he might have expected. "Alright. Under the circumstances, I understand." He watched as the couple left the ready room, and then followed them out. "Harry, how goes the battle?"

The younger man turned toward the Commander. "We've started to see the first signs of it going our way, Tal Celes, Sam Wildman and Marla Gilmore have all voluntarily come on side, Commander."

Chakotay smiled softly, "Three women in long standing relationships…"

"I know Joe and Sam have been serious for a while now, especially after they heard from their letters in the data stream that their former spouses had moved on." Harry chuckled. "You probably should issue them family quarters fairly quickly. I don't think Naomi will be an only child for very long."

Chakotay grinned, "That's actually a good idea, Harry, a very good idea." Bringing up a schematic of Voyager, he found unoccupied officers quarters for the couple. "Harry, transmit this quarters reassignment to them, along with a request for them to see Doc about a check up and removal of their contraceptive implants."

"The EMH hasn't been re-programmed yet." Harry looked back meaningfully.

Shaking his head, Chakotay shut off his data monitor. "I wouldn't worry about it at the moment, Harry. As long as the ladies come to him voluntarily, and can convince him of that, I don't think he'll be a problem."

=/\=

For the next few days, Voyager moved forward slowly, but it became apparent that other than a few women whose natural drives had been frustrated by the solidarity of supporting the Captain in her single state, the rest of the women were not so easy to convince. The fewer crewmen available for shifts left them unable to properly man the ship on its course home, so they had reduced their speed to impulse and Chakotay was alternating between bridge shifts, trying to convince Torres and Paris to come back to duty and working on the Doctor to bring him onside.

Surprisingly, of the three tasks, the Doctor was coming along the best. The fact that Chakotay was unwilling to reprogram the Doctor, except as a last resort, had earned Chakotay a modicum of respect from the hologram. Likewise, Chakotay was willing to debate the pros and cons of their solution with the Doctor, something which the hologram thoroughly enjoyed despite himself. The Doctor was coming to consider the Commander a good friend. On the whole, he agreed with many of the points that Chakotay and the other men made. He himself had noted with some dismay the repressed urges, denied emotions, and suppressed desires that were hallmark amongst the women on the crew, even female crewmembers who had previously been insatiable. The few women who had come to the Commander's cause willingly seemed much happier than they had been at their last physical.

Of course, the sticking point for the Doctor was the enforcement of the new protocols. To his mind now that a few women had given in to their urges, the solidarity had been broken and the others would follow suit when they were ready to do so with a partner of their choice. Chakotay however stood fast to their resolve. In the long run he feared that although this had shaken things up for the time being, given the Captain's tendency towards stubbornness, Voyager's crewmembers would find themselves in the same situation, but with less time to do anything about it.

The Captain, of course, was a point they agreed and disagreed on. Both were concerned for her, especially her state of mind in the prolonged confinement and isolation. They had both watched with some concern as she tried various methods of escape to no avail. The Commander had the Doctor monitoring all her vital signs, ensuring she was eating something from her still active replicator, and generally ascertaining that when he decided to open the doors, there would still be a Kathryn Janeway on the other side.

The Commander maintained that when he let Janeway out, he wanted the changes aboard ship to be so far gone that it would be difficult for her to reverse what they had done. However, it was the Doctor's considered opinion that Chakotay was only putting off the inevitable by not seeing the Captain. This was the one thing he didn't entirely understand about all of this. As far as the Doctor was concerned, Chakotay stood to lose far more than he had to gain in this scenario. While she had forgiven him for the mutiny under Teero's control, there was no way in hell that she would ever forgive Chakotay for this betrayal...

… And when the Doctor looked at Chakotay, when he was unaware, he could see the same knowledge in the Commander's eyes. So the question remained… Why?

=/\=

Chakotay watched the recorded message for the second time today, not quite believing what he was seeing. His fist clenched and unclenched convulsively as he listened to the words, trying to fathom, not for the first time, what the hell they were trying to accomplish. Whatever it was, it was costing him dearly… And Kathryn as well. He shook his head and pushed those thoughts out of his mind as the chime on the ready room door sounded.

"Come." Harry Kim and Michael Ayala stepped through the door and stood shoulder to shoulder. He could tell by the looks on their faces they weren't happy bringing him whatever news they had, but that there was no choice. "Go ahead. I'm not going to shoot the messenger."

Harry stepped forward; in the past week he had become Chakotay's right hand, taking care of all the bureaucratic details that needed attention, much the way he had done for Kathryn. "The Doctor has finished his physicals and evaluations of all the women still in confinement other than the Captain." He handed the padd over to Chakotay, who paged through it quickly. "His evaluation, sir, is that the rest of the women aboard are unlikely to adhere to the new protocols without some sort of external stimulus."

"Let me guess. The popular feeling amongst the male members of the crew is that the Captain needs to be ... taken in hand before the rest of the women will follow suit." Chakotay settled down in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not comfortable with what you're proposing and I think if you really thought about it, you wouldn't be either." In his mind, Chakotay wondered why he was even protesting since this was precisely what was expected of him, but a larger part knew he had to protest somehow, even if he had no choice but to comply in the long run.

Ayala stepped forward and leaned against his friend's desk. "The problem is, Chakotay, if you don't do it, someone else is liable to try."

Lunging up from his chair, Chakotay snarled, his face livid, causing both men to step back. "Let's get something absolutely clear. No one but me or the Doctor goes near her without her permission." Chakotay stalked out from behind the desk, his movements predatory and dangerous. "No matter what we've done, this isn't a democracy or anarchy. I'll deal with the Captain my way. Understood?"

Both men snapped to attention, "Aye, Sir. Understood, Sir."

"Good," Chakotay paced in front of them, "now get out."

That settled it of course. The next stage couldn't be delayed any further. Now he had to face the fact that he had destroyed any possibility of there being more between him and Kathryn than friendship, while ruining their friendship at the same time. Yet he had to live with the fact that he also had to use her as his own personal 'broodmare'. While under normal circumstances having a child with Kathryn was a dream come true, right now he almost wished that Kathryn had gone through menopause, saving herself from this. Instead, upon hacking the Doctor's medical file on the Captain, he had found that despite of her incessant coffee habit and bad eating and sleeping habits, the Captain was still perfectly capable of bearing children.

"Chakotay to Sickbay," he spoke as he tapped his commbadge and stood.

The EMH's disembodied voice filled the small room. "The Doctor here, Commander. How can I help you?"

"I'm going to be bringing you a patient in about thirty minutes. I need you to be ready for her…" A cool silence filled the air between them. "She's going to need her birth control implant removed and a variety of vitamin supplements administered."

For a moment the silence returned, and then the EMH spoke again. "I take it it's the Captain that I will be seeing."

"Yes," Chakotay responded sullenly.

Another pause then, "Commander, I will not be able to comply with your orders unless she consents."

"She isn't going to consent, Doctor… And if you don't comply then I'll have to have Harry alter your programming." Chakotay winced, hating what he had to do. "Don't make me do that, Doctor."

The EMH's voice was resigned. "I'm afraid you will have to in order to have me carry out your instructions."

"Fine then. Chakotay out." He stepped out of the ready room and turned to Harry. "You're going to have to make some alterations to the Doctor's program." He paused. "Make certain we have the ability to return him to normal, but keep that file encrypted for your and my eyes only."

Harry stood from his post. "What sort of alterations, Commander?"

"From now on, as Commanding Officer of this vessel I will have the ability to consent to any medical procedure for any member of my crew whether they want it or not." Chakotay shook his head slightly. "That should accomplish what we need with the least amount of tampering on our parts."

"I'll see to it immediately, Commander." Harry walked with him to the turbolift, guessing what the need for the alterations was. "Sir, it's better this way. At least you know it's you that's … tending to the Captain. I know some of the male crewmen really resent how she's affected the women aboard. Whether she is aware of it or not, she's safer with you."

The turbolift whirred as it carried them to the Captain's deck. "I know, Harry. I know." The doors opened, allowing Chakotay to exit. "Just see to those modifications for me."

Harry nodded sadly, "Aye, Sir."

=/\=

Kathryn had lost count of the days that she'd been confined. Oh, she could find out if she'd been bothered to, but she just couldn't bring herself to be bothered. At first she'd plotted her escape, vented her anger, and worried herself sick, wondering when the other shoe would drop. Now as a matter of survival, she'd stopped thinking about it and contented herself with existing. It seemed she was the lucky recipient of enough rations for three meals a day along with several cups of coffee, although her replicator was locked down much the way the units in the brig were, restricted to basic clothing, food and toiletry needs.

The first indication that something was about to change was when a force shield sprang to life in her cabin, confining her to the back half of the room. She stood and paced its length, waiting to see who would appear and wishing it wouldn't be whom she expected. So when her cabin door slid back to reveal Chakotay on the other side, she was disappointed but unsurprised.

They stood staring at each other for a few moments as Chakotay moved inside, then he broke the silence. "Kathryn…"

"Captain, if you please, Mr. Chakotay. Or Ms. Janeway if I've been stripped of that rank. You lost any privilege you had of using my name when you betrayed me." Kathryn turned away from him, staring out the viewport, trying hard to keep confined the emotions that threatened to betray her with tears.

"Kathryn…" Chakotay continued ignoring her request.

Janeway whirled, her eyes flashing, "I told you *not* to use my name." She stalked up as close as she dared to the force screen, so that the minute quantities of liquid in her breath made the pulsing energy spark and shudder.

"If you hadn't noticed, Kath-ryn..." Chakotay purposefully pronounced her name, exaggerating both syllables, provoking her. Her anger would make it somehow easier to do what he needed. "...you aren't in command anymore. I am and I will call you what I like."

Eyes narrowing, Janeway started to pace the length of her enclosure once again. "And I suppose you intend to do whatever you like to me as well." She stopped and held his gaze, searching for something, anything. Growling in frustration, she turned away. "I trusted you, Chakotay, more than anyone. How could you betray me like this? Was your friendship all a show? Were you just waiting for your opportunity?" She whirled back, anxious to see his expression.

"I'm doing what I have to, Kathryn, for Voyager's sake." Chakotay kept his voice carefully neutral, but in his mind he added, 'For your sake.'

Janeway snorted derisively. "You mean what you have to do for your libido's sake." Her hands found her hips. "Come on, Commander, this isn't about Voyager. This is about you and the other male crewmen being frustrated that we won't -- how is it that Tom would put it? -- 'put out.'" She lounged back on her couch and eyed him disdainfully. "You can disguise it in noble ideas, that Voyager needs another generation of crew if you want to them. But be honest with me and with yourself. This is about you being ruled by your balls, not your brains."

Now Chakotay was angry. He knew Kathryn had every right to be angry about this, but it didn't stop his own long suppressed anger with her from bubbling out. "Just what would you know about being ruled by your emotions, Kathryn?" he snarled. "Half the male crew pities me because I'm going to freeze my balls off with such a frigid bitch and the other half pities me because I'm stuck with woman with fewer emotions than a Vulcan Kohlinar Master." Janeway's eyes widened in shock at his words, but now that the genie had been let out of the bottle there was no putting it back.

A snarl escaped his lips as he saw her mouth beginning to open. "Shut up, Kathryn. Shut the fuck up and just listen to me for once." He stalked forward slowly. "I don't know how it happened, but it did. You fucking frigidity was fucking contagious and infected almost every single woman aboard Voyager. Not to mention they somehow picked up your flirt, tease, and leave the man needing an extreme cold shower routine as well." He stopped directly in front of the force shield. "Now if it was just me, I wouldn't have done anything. I would have lived with you treating me like a piece of furniture, an ego boost for the sorry excuse of womanhood that you've become; ignoring me and acting as though I was only good for bringing you the latest crew gossip, which you'd ignore anyway." Chakotay's eyes flashed with the volcano of anger she had released. "That you don't see me as a man is tolerable. That any hope of a next generation for Voyager was withering away, while the female crewmembers followed your lead, is not." Kathryn looked away, unwilling to face the truth she saw in his eyes. "Look at me, Kathryn." She kept her eyes averted until he bellowed, "I said look at me, woman."

Her eyes met his again, wide and full of emotion as she looked at him. "Since our little coup there have been twenty women who've willingly come over to our side so they could be with their lover. The first fifteen came over in the first twenty-four hours." Janeway gulped. While she suspected the effect that she was having and Tuvok had advised her of his observations, Kathryn had no idea that it was this pronounced.

"I didn't…" she started.

"You seldom do," Chakotay growled. "Now this is how this is going to play out. I am going to escort you to Sickbay, the Doctor is going to give you a thorough examination and will remove your contraceptive implant, and you will escort me to the bridge while I make a formal announcement that I am now Voyager's commanding officer. You will then return here and be ready for me to move in."

Suddenly her fire was back. "Go to hell!"

"I'm already in hell, Kathryn. I've just decided to rule here." His eyes narrowed slightly, "And let me make this clear to you. If you make it too dangerous for us to conceive a child in the natural way, you will still end up pregnant, even if I have to have the Doctor do the honors for me."

"Just try it, you bastard, and you'll regret it." She snarled dangerously.

Something snapped inside of him. "Don't piss me off more than you already have, Kathryn. I'm the only thing standing between you and a bunch of angry men who're blaming you for their problems. They think as long as you don't belong to someone, the other women are going to keep playing their games. So if you don't belong to me, you will belong to someone else and they aren't likely to be nice about it. In fact, Ayala and Kim asked me to do this to prevent anyone else from trying it." He held his hand above his communicator. "Just say the word, Kathryn, and I'll leave you to fend off the wolves on your own."

For the first time since ending up in the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn Janeway was actually afraid of her own crew, on her own ship. Even during the incident with Teero, it hadn't been like this. It hadn't been her crew she was frightened of, but what the madman might make them do.

Locking eyes with Chakotay, she made a futile attempt at dominance. Peering into the almost black depths of his eyes, she hoped she could find some portion of her loyal first officer, the man who would allow her to compartmentalize him, to assign him a safe, unthreatening role in her life. All she found was seething anger and frustration in the ebony pools, the part of him that went easy on her locked away from her. The angry warrior was back with a vengeance.

To Kathryn's surprise, a shiver ran down her spine at her realization and a part of her she'd forced herself to forget became thrilled at the thought. A sudden flush of desire ran through her body as she realized Chakotay would no longer back down, that he intended on having her whether she liked it or not. Unwilling to allow the emotion she knew would reflect in her eyes to betray her, and partially disgusted with herself at her reaction, she bowed her head, ending the contest for dominance and signaling to Chakotay he had won.

As she heard him tap his commbadge, order the removal of the force shield, and felt his hand close around her arm, her body reacted violently; a shock of sensation where his fingers wrapped around her upper arm and a gush of wetness from between her legs. It was then that Kathryn feared that he'd won more than the contest for dominance they'd just played.

=/\=

The cold hiss of a hypospray against her neck made her shiver, but the Doctor's refusal to acknowledge her as he worked on her body left her chilled to the bone. "Well, Commander, the Captain --"

Chakotay looked at Kathryn, then back at the Doctor. "Just call her Kathryn. She's not the Captain now and I very much doubt she will be ever again."

"Very well," the Doctor agreed amiably. "Kathryn has been remiss in taking care of herself, of course, just as she has been for the entire journey. I've given her several supplements to make up for those shortfalls, but if she's to conceive and carry a child naturally then she needs to eat properly, get plenty of rest, and limit her caffeine intake." He set aside the hypo and picked up another device, pushing up her tunic and positioning it carefully over her abdomen. "I understand that every woman capable aboard Voyager must do her part, but considering that Kathryn isn't as young as some of the others, she will have to be more conscientious about these sorts of things."

If she hadn't been determined not to allow them to know how much this was affecting her, Kathryn would have allowed the tears that were pooling behind her eyelids to escape. For now, however, she kept her eyes firmly shut as she listened to her former best friend and Chief Medical Officer discuss her as though she wasn't capable of making decisions for herself. "She will be, Doctor," Chakotay assured him.

"Very well, I will remove her contraceptive implant now." The Doctor paused. "Several of the couples I've already seen have asked for something to increase their chances of conception. Of course, in their cases it wasn't entirely necessary, and it may not be in Kathryn's case either, but …"

Chakotay had been about to turn the Doctor's offer down, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kathryn stiffen as she listened to the hologram's diatribe. Though the stiffening could have been caused by anything from the cool instrument resting on her abdomen to the hiss of Sickbay's doors opening to let another couple inside the room, Chakotay's mind interpreted it as her distaste for having a child with him. His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened once more. "I think that would be a good idea, Doctor. The sooner the other women see Kathryn complying with the new directives, the sooner they'll come around to it as well."

The Doctor nodded and activated the device he pressed against her stomach. A slight pressure inside followed by a shift that left an empty feeling was the only indication of the removal of her implant. The hologram lifted the device, and then tapped a few buttons and placed it back over her abdomen. In almost a reverse of what he had done before, the pressure returned and the hollow space was filled again. Both Chakotay and Kathryn looked at the Doctor questioningly. "Considering Kathryn's age, I decided that another device would be more useful than what I've been prescribing to the other couples."

Chakotay arched his brow as he helped Kathryn off the table, keeping a firm grip on her arm as she settled to the floor. "And exactly what would that be, Doctor?"

"It's much like a contraceptive implant, but it works in reverse from what they do. It's a treatment method for infertile couples. If the female has difficulties ovulating, or other such problems, this increases her chances of conception by making her body more receptive, regulating ovulation and so forth. If the man is the problem in the couple, this can help as well simply by making the woman more receptive, the egg less difficult to fertilize. I don't have to draw you a picture, do I?"

Chuckling, Chakotay wondered why Harry or B'Elanna had never tried to improve his bedside manner. Of course, since he'd asked Harry to make the modifications with a minimum of changes on their part, he supposed that it was his own fault. "And when the couple isn't infertile at all?"

The Doctor turned and shook his head slightly. "It practically insures conception, every time. And since its intelligent technology, it can be left in the woman's body permanently. I thought that would be most appropriate given the current situation. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients waiting to see me." The Doctor pulled out a new set of sterile instruments, readying the biobed for his next patient as he commented matter-of-factly, "Give the implant a few hours to take effect, Commander. Then have her report to me in four weeks time for her initial prenatal appointment."

Kathryn stood by Chakotay in stunned silence. This couldn't be happening. It had to be some sort of twisted dream, but as she looked up at Chakotay, the reality of the situation crashed down on her. It was happening, it was real, and the Doctor had effectively turned her body into a broodmare for as many children as Chakotay cared to plant in her. When she thought that the nightmare of existing in the Delta Quadrant couldn't get any worse, it had. Her best friend had betrayed her, most of her crew blamed her for their troubles, and worst of all, one way or another, they were right.

The worst part was the effect Chakotay's touch still had on her, almost more pronounced now than it was earlier, knowing what was to come later. As though her body craved what was going to happen, her sex felt hot and liquid. An ache she hadn't acknowledged in months was building to a point she wouldn't be able to ignore. As they approached the door, Michael Ayala and Susan Nicoletti moved past them, the former looking pleased, and the later looking somewhat subdued. Kathryn met Susan's eyes, and then looked away, ashamed of the arousal she was certain the other woman would be able to see there. She moved closer to Chakotay making it easier for him to lead her away and her body responded to his proximity, subconsciously leaning towards him. The message that it broadcast was clear.

Kathryn Janeway was Chakotay's woman now.

 

=/\=

Without giving her time to regroup, Chakotay had led her to the turbolift, bringing her to the bridge with him. The crewmen on duty looked up at her with such animosity in their gazes that Kathryn moved closer to Chakotay, instinctively pressing herself against him. A low murmur filled the air, an impression being made by the former Captain's seemingly submissive response to their leader. "Are we ready, Harry?"

"Aye, sir," Harry responded, turning back to look at Chakotay and Janeway expectantly.

Chakotay paused and looked at Kathryn. "Computer, as of Stardate 54547.2, instate Commander Chakotay as Captain of USS Voyager."

"Acknowledged. Current commanding officer of USS Voyager is Captain Chakotay," the computer intoned emotionlessly as Kathryn felt the bedrock of her life shattering beneath her feet. She looked up at him, her body shivering uncontrollably, looking for some recognition of her plight; anything to pull her out from under the mire she felt herself caught in, even if her rescue came from the man who had betrayed her.

Staying completely still, Kathryn felt Chakotay press up behind her, his hands coming up to her collar, and skillfully detaching each of her rank pips one by one. Her heart lurched. It seemed instead of pulling her from the mire, he was pushing her further in until his soft voice stroked her ears, words low enough that they would only be heard by her, and resonated with that part of her she was trying so hard to repress.

"The Captain's time is over now. It's Kathryn's turn." Then, louder so everyone could hear, "Computer, please add to duty roster..." He paused, thinking how best to accomplish what he wanted without giving Kathryn any leverage to reestablish herself or to put her in line for harassment from those who would use her lowered rank as a weapon. "...Kathryn Janeway, Science Department, Civilian Researcher."

"Acknowledged. Kathryn Janeway, Science Department, Civilian Researcher," the computer repeated back, and Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief. He had thrown her the line she needed to survive. Now the only question that remained to be answered was could she learn to thrive in the new structure that Voyager was rapidly assuming.

=/\=

Once they had concluded their business on the bridge, Chakotay had walked Kathryn back to her cabin. She'd been subdued and almost cooperative, a state Chakotay didn't expect to last long. The changes that had occurred over the course of the day had served to set her off balance and the extended time alone had dulled her resistance. It was only a matter of time before her training re-asserted itself, but by that time, Chakotay hoped that thought of her first born depending on her to nurture and protect it might stop her from trying anything too outrageous.

In time and with luck, she might even come to accept or even find peace in her new situation. It was the best Chakotay could hope for, everything considered. He had left her in the cabin, instructing her to make space for him there, since he was her mate now and he was the Captain, he would be moving in. Chakotay chose his words carefully; he was reluctant to use the term husband or even partner at this point since they implied a certain equality or at least agreement between both parties, when this was nothing of the sort.

He had left her like that, giving her time to come to terms with it, or at least regain some of her anger. At this point it was easier for him to deal with what he had done when she was attacking him. Slowly he made his way around the ship; now his. It was an informal tour that somehow led him to the brig.

"Commander," Tuvok started, "or should I say Captain Chakotay. Your appearance is unexpected, but not entirely surprising."

Chakotay's head came up. "Tuvok. I didn't really come down to speak with you."

"Indeed, then it is interesting that your mind drew you to this location. Perhaps your subconscious recognized a need you have and gave you a way to satisfy it." The Vulcan watched Chakotay from behind the force shield. At first it was tempting to dismiss Tuvok's supposition, but as he watched the impassive face beyond the shimmering field of energy, Chakotay knew of all people aboard ship, Tuvok was the one person who could be told the entire background to the circumstances they found themselves in now.

Tuvok watched as the human male ordered his thoughts. "I had recognized the possibility of this situation some time ago and had warned the Captain. I had not expected it to come to a head so quickly or I would have taken action before now. What I do find surprising is that you are seemingly at the center of the mutiny. I would not have expected you to betray the Captain in such a manner."

"What you mean is you thought Kathryn had me trained into being a good little lap dog that wouldn't dare bite the hand that fed it." Chakotay leveled a baleful glare at the Vulcan. "Maybe I got tired of only getting scraps from her."

"On the contrary, I have noted that you are a man of your word, a fine officer, and unswervingly loyal. In addition to this, your feelings for the Captain, although your relationship with the Captain has never gone beyond the bounds of protocol, have remained strong." Chakotay's eyes widened at Tuvok's words. "She is your t'hyla, your beloved. Hence I find it difficult to believe you would betray her, unless in your betrayal you were actually protecting her."

"How did you…" Chakotay shook his head. "If I didn't know you better, Tuvok, I would suspect you of being on their side."

"Indeed," Tuvok's brow arched slightly. "May I enquire who *they* are?"

Chakotay pursed his lips, and then nodded. "Alright, but it remains between us, Tuvok. Any good this fiasco has brought about is null and void if they suspect I've told anyone about it." The Vulcan nodded his ascent. "Starfleet Command ordered me to do this, Tuvok. Either I did as they asked or when we got back to the Alpha Quadrant, Kathryn would be tried for every violation of any regulation she committed out here, found guilty, locked up and the key thrown away. I couldn't let that happen to her."

"How did they know of the brewing insurrection aboard Voyager?" Tuvok's brow furrowed as he worked out this logic puzzle in his mind.

Chakotay shrugged. "They created it, Tuvok. From what I understand, they've been adding something to the transmissions we get in the data stream."

The Vulcan actually seemed surprised by that. "To what end? I fail to see how creating this situation aboard Voyager works to their advantage."

"It's an experiment. That's as much as I know." Chakotay settled down on a bench outside of Tuvok's cell and let his forehead rest against his knees. "I couldn't let Kathryn know that the organization she's dedicated so much of her life to was willing to use her and her crew as guinea pigs for some deranged experiment; let her know her sacrifices were in vain." Chakotay looked up at the Vulcan once more. "Better she think I betrayed her."

"That is the only place where I believe your logic has failed you." Tuvok's calm voice penetrated the vale of thoughts that clouded Chakotay's mind. "You and the relationship you share with the Captain mean much more to her than her association with Starfleet."

"That's 'shared', Tuvok. Past tense." He shook his head. "And with the way she treats me ninety percent of the time, Tuvok, I find that hard to believe." Chakotay stood slowly. "But either way, I hope you're wrong, because if you're right I sacrificed everything for nothing."

Tuvok watched as the human began to move away from him. "Chakotay," he called out the new Captain's name, "I do not believe anything will ever be 'past tense' between you and Kathryn." He paused. "If it is possible, I would like to return to duty at your earliest convenience."

Grateful for the Vulcan's encouragement and support, Chakotay nodded. "I'll see to it immediately, Tuvok."

=/\=

As Kathryn moved around the cabin, making space for Chakotay's possessions, a slow burn of anger started deep inside her. This man, a man she had trusted, cared for -- if she admitted it to herself, even loved -- had torn her life to shreds and was now expecting her to take him into it willingly. Never mind what he'd had the Doctor do to her.

As the anger built, instead of drowning out the desire that lit inside of her, it amplified it, her body humming with lust and fury, fires that grew together, feeding on one another, howling inside her like a caged monster ready to break free at any moment.

It was no wonder then, when the doors of her cabin opened, Kathryn launched herself at Chakotay, her fists pummeling into him hard and fast, knocking him to the ground where she continued her assault continued with her booted feet.

"You bastard… Son of a bitch…" Her litany of insults started with the standard Terran variety then branched off into the more esoteric curses from all over the Alpha Quadrant that only a seasoned Starfleet veteran would know.

For Chakotay, most of the curses didn't even register, he was mainly worried about protecting all the most important areas of his body from the jack booted little harridan. It wasn't until she once again started to question his feelings for her, accusing him of faking the emotion just to put himself in place for his take over bid, that the insults warranted a reaction.

Suddenly he boiled up from the ground, encircling her in his strong arms and restraining her from damaging him or herself any further. "I've had enough of your crap, Kathryn. If I didn't care, you little bitch, your cunt would be chained up in some common area for any crewman to use and you'd still be set to breed like a stray bitch in a back alley, except you'd be pushing out whoever's bastards got left behind."

Screaming her rage as he hoisted her over his shoulder, Kathryn's fists beat ineffectually on his back as he carried her through to the bedroom. Yanking off her boots and socks at once, he continued in his diatribe, oblivious to whether she heard it or not. "If I didn't care about how you felt, you'd be chained to this bed, legs spread open like an Orion whore, being fucked whenever I felt like it, with no concern for whether you got off or not, condemned to whelp out brat after brat and not allowed to be any part of their life. Just a brood mare to breed and birth and nothing else. I sure as hell wouldn't be allowing you to leave these quarters, never mind being allowed to continue with scientific research."

The words registered in Kathryn's mind and the truth of them hung in the air between them. She knew that the situation could have been much worse than it was. She knew that Chakotay's feelings for her were what made the difference, but she still couldn't forgive him for betraying her in every other way.

Chakotay made his way to her dresser with the still squealing, screaming, and writhing woman held over one shoulder. There were places on his back and chest where his bruises would have bruises, but he didn't let that stop him. He pulled out one of the drawers completely and emptied the contents onto the top of the bureau. His one free hand rifled through the contents before finding what he was looking for: four long silk like scarves that he had given Kathryn over the years. Grasping them in one hand, he moved back to the front of the bed. "Now, Kathryn, since we can't seem to come to an understanding, I think it's about time I did exactly that."

In one fluid movement, he tossed Kathryn to the mattress, then pounced to straddle her, pinning her arms above her head as she growled in frustration. Chakotay smiled malevolently as he looked down into her flushed, panting face. "You're going to make a beautiful brood mare, Kathryn, swollen and ripe with our child." Kathryn howled in outrage as she felt him tie her wrists together and then secure them to the head of the bed.

Once he was certain her upper body was restrained, Chakotay set to the task of restraining her lower half, spreading her legs obscenely, then running his hand against the crotch of her trousers. Kathryn bucked and pulled against her bonds, trying to free herself from the restraints to no effect, and making his hand press against her sex through the rough Starfleet material, stimulating her engorged clit as she tried to make her escape.

Slowly but surely, the fires that consumed her body and mind changed from those of anger to the fires of arousal and passion. As she struggled against her bonds, her mind conjured pictures of what would happen next, making her sex flood against his probing fingers. Even the thought of her body, stretched and tight with a child he planted without her permission was making her ache for it to become reality. The betrayal of her body infuriated the Captain in her that was still trying to resist, making her growl and fight, but it was loosing strength as Kathryn, so long sublimated, came to the fore.

The reemergence of Kathryn's desires and needs brought with it a knowledge that she was absolutely certain of. If she told him no, even now, he would stop. The Captain inside of her mocked her certainty, trying to force her vocal cords to say no, to test her theory, but the words never came. Kathryn gave herself to the passion and used it to strengthen herself. Even though she was angry with him for how the situation had occurred, the weight of duty and responsibility lifting from her shoulders after seven years of carrying it was a relief. She had no intention of denying him, denying what in truth she wanted desperately and had almost given up hope of ever having.

A smug grin crossed Chakotay's face as he felt Kathryn press herself against his hand, certain that had more to do with pleasure than escape. Between her struggles and the highly erotic sounds she was making, his cock was painfully engorged and he was more than ready to fuck her until she forgot everything except that she was his. He ignored his own needs for the moment, and pressed his fingers harder against the crotch of her trousers, until he could almost feel the engorged nub beneath his fingertips. Giving a couple of little encouraging strokes with his fingertips, the grin grew larger as her hips started to move involuntarily, Kathryn dry humping her sex against his fingers. Although from the dampness in the crotch of her uniform slacks, it wasn't very dry.

The occasional jolt of pleasure that had coursed through her body from her struggles against him quickly turned into a continuous wave as the pressure against her clit became more intense. Ripples shot through her body and dulled her reason, leaving her baser instincts in control. Instinct demanded that she rub and press herself obscenely against his fingers to keep the sensations coursing through her body when they had stopped as Chakotay's fingers had stilled. Her body jerked spasmodically as she bucked and twisted, struggling to keep his fingers pressed against the perfect spot as she moved. Little animalistic grunts and whimpers escaped her mouth, betraying her as her body had, showing him just how much she was enjoying the currents of bliss that his fingers were creating in her sex.

Each sharp movement of Kathryn's body made her breasts bounce invitingly, nipples protruding enough that they were almost visible beneath her uniform jacket. Chakotay chuckled as Kathryn's hips moved to correct the angle and pressure he was touching her with, when he purposefully moved his fingers away from the place that gave her the most pleasure. It was reassuring to see that beneath the Starfleet armor that he was tearing away, that she was just a woman, with the same needs and drives that any woman had. And when unleashed those drives would push her into whatever undignified position best satisfied those needs.

"That's it, grind your slit against my fingers…" Chakotay's voice rumbled. "Can't even wait to get out of your clothes, can you? Such a hot little bitch…"

Kathryn's eyes, which had remained half closed throughout, snapped open and leveled an evil glare at him. "Go to hell, Chakotay," she gasped out. For her protest, she didn't stop writhing against his hand, desperately trying to reach the release she craved.

Chakotay smirked as he clucked his tongue, then pressed the growing bulge in his pants against the inside of her thigh and slowly rubbed it against her while pulling his hand back, forcing her hips to twist and turn, trying to find his fingertips again. "Now, now… Be nice or you could find yourself very pregnant without even an orgasm to show for it." He ran his free hand over her stomach, imagining it full and rounded with their child.

A growl of frustration escaped from her mouth as she both hated and craved Chakotay at this moment. Her legs spread further apart and her hips rose up, stretching her bindings tight, a non-verbal invitation to return his hand to the apex of her legs. For a moment, Chakotay considered trying to force her to beg, but doubted he'd have any success with that yet. Instead, he found some satisfaction in her actions and returned his hand to cupping her sex, but this time gently stroking and tweaking the bundle of nerves beneath the fabric with skilled fingers.

The effect was immediate. Kathryn's back arched and a high pitched wail escaped her mouth. She thrashed uncontrollably as her orgasm tore through her body, randomly firing nerve endings making her muscles clench tight. Everything in her was focused on the rapture that held her in its grip, until it all fell away leaving her in darkness.

Standing up, Chakotay drank in the sight of Kathryn collapsed against the bed, spent of both her anger and lust for the moment. Running his hand against her cheek, he smiled. Kathryn was so beautiful, delicate, and almost child like as she lay sprawled on top of the covers, and if it hadn't been for the scarves binding her to the bed, he could have imagined her to be napping, having fallen asleep waiting for him to come back from his duty shift. His spine stiffened as the thought passed through his mind. That would never happen, especially not now. Better not to torment himself with 'could have beens'. Better to take pleasure in what he did have and like it or not now she was his.

Turning away he stripped off his jacket and tossed it aside, then swiftly pulled away his tunic and tank. Kicking off his boots and rolling up his socks, he then moved to the replicator, silently, and ordered a large bowie knife with a razor sharp edge that glistened in the light. As it shimmered into existence, he moved back to the bed and straddled her waist, releasing the fly of his pants and allowing his cock to spring free, smacking against her stomach. "Come on now, Kathryn, it's time to wake up. I wouldn't want you to sleep through the conception of your first child."

For a moment, her memories of the last week remained distant and his words didn't entirely register, leaving Kathryn only with the sense that her best friend was trying to wake her. As she struggled toward consciousness everything came rushing back and she winced in pain, leaving her to try to hide her reaction to the monstrous events once more.

"You're going to want to open your eyes and look in the mirror, Kathryn…" Chakotay continued as he watched his cock drool a spot of precum on her immaculate uniform jacket, leaving a small, creamy puddle of ooze against the black, for the most part ignoring her reaction. "After all, this is the last time you'll ever see yourself in uniform…or your body, quite so … scrawny. I imagine you'll fill out quite a bit once you're pregnant."

"You wouldn't dare, you son of a bitch…" Kathryn snarled as she focused on him rather than the mirror above her dresser. Her eyes widened as her gaze dropped and focused on the knife in his hand.

Chakotay watched as her expression changed. "Thinking better of pissing off the man with the knife, hmmm? Smart girl." Slowly he ran the tip of the knife up between the valley of her breasts. "Don't worry though; this is just going to get rid of the last few barriers between us now. I wouldn't do anything to risk the future generations of my children." He reached up to her lapel, pulling the fabric of her uniform jacket taught. "Though I wouldn't make any sudden moves either, I really don't want to cut you accidentally and this knife is very sharp." Without conscious thought, she found her gaze drawn to the mirror, taking in the sight of herself in her uniform one last time.

The sound of the knife rending the cloth of her jacket down her sleeve drew her attention back to him and what he was doing. She stayed stalk still as he split the seams on her jacket, tossing away each piece of material as it came free of her body. As the last of the jacket was tossed away, he turned his attention to cutting away her tunic and then her tank. She closed her eyes, both disturbed by and grateful for the careful attention he seemed to be paying to his task. The silence in the room was deafening, but it wasn't until she felt the cool air of her cabin against the skin of her abdomen that she opened her eyes.

Chakotay caught the strap of the decidedly non-regulation lace bra with the tip of his knife. "Very pretty, Kathryn. Almost too pretty to cut away, but I am more interested in what's underneath. I'm certain that's very pretty too." He cocked his head to the side, considering her with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Which should I get rid of next, do you think?" A thin red line appeared on her skin where he drew the knife down to her pants. She hissed through her teeth. Though he was careful not to draw blood, the steel blade was still frigidly cold against her skin. "Should I get rid of these first? You do have beautiful legs…" The knife followed the same trail back up to her bra. "Or this… Would you like to feel what it will be like to have our baby suckling at your breasts? It won't be exactly the same of course, but I'm certain you'll enjoy it."

"I don't care…" She hissed through clenched teeth and turned her face away from him, afraid that he would see the arousal she felt in her eyes. Each of his words made her body ache more. The thought of his lips at her breasts or lying before him in nothing more than her lacey underwear had re-ignited the fires that she had hoped her first orgasm had quenched. Instead she felt her body trembling with tension, and her face flushed with shame as her Captain's training continued to fail her, her initial realization that she wouldn't deny him solidified further into a desire for him to take her, not only despite of the consequences but because of them.

Meanwhile, Chakotay had made up his own mind as evidenced by the cool air that flicked against her legs as he relentlessly removed length after length of the coarse regulation fabric. As the final strips were pulled away, he slowly ran his fingers up the smooth length of her leg, smiling as his touch made her shudder and tremble. He ran his fingers against the scrap of lace that still separated his flesh from hers, his cock aching to be sheathed in the soft folds nestled beneath it, her curls dark beneath the pale beige lace. His eyes darkened as he took in her breasts still shrouded in lace as well, her nipples engorged, taught and flushed beneath the material. "It seems you were right, Kathryn… You do indeed look very good in beige." His fingers traced the pattern of lace over her mound, and then slipped beneath it to run his fingers through the soft auburn curls. Then he hefted his knife again. "But as good as you look now, you'll look far better without it." He pulled the material tight and then slipped the knife beneath the much thinner sides of the panties, the fabric parting like butter against the well honed blade. Then, with a quick flick of his wrist, the ruined garment was tossed aside, leaving her sex open and exposed.

The throb in his groin got stronger as his fingers slid through her curls, the folds of her sex coated in her glistening juices, the flesh swollen and flushed from her earlier release. His tongue ran against his lips, even if it was purely a physical reaction, it was obvious that Kathryn wanted him. "Kathryn…" A sound more like a growl than a word entreated from his throat. Slowly she looked up at him, blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

As her eyes met his, something inside of her broke. As much as she hated him for doing this to her, Kathryn had never felt more beautiful in her entire life. The desire, the adoration, the lust, the … She stopped herself before she acknowledge that particular emotion. Everything he felt for her was encompassed in the dark, feral gaze he fixed on her. The Captain fell away completely as Kathryn demanded her due and if she needed to belong to this man to have that then so be it. "Chakotay…" Her voice was unsteady, tremulous but there was no mistaking it for the invitation it was as she lifted her hips slightly.

Relieving himself of anything he didn't need any longer, Chakotay mounted Kathryn, kneeling between her legs and sliding his thick cock against her silken folds. Reaching up, it was his hands that tore away the lace from her breasts, the soft fabric giving way as he wrenched against it, seams and fasteners popping from the strain. Covering her body with his own, his teeth raked against her neck, his mouth suckling at the pale flesh, leaving livid marks that declared her as his.

The tears flowed now as she felt her body respond to him, her back arching to press her breasts into him, his cock sliding against her clit making her vibrate with pleasure. Her nipples ached as they rubbed against his smooth skin, her breasts feeling swollen and heavy already as if anticipating the state they would soon find themselves in. She gasped and whimpered as he scored her neck again, his mouth finding the sensitive spot there as if by instinct and suckling at it like a teat. She squirmed as her body protested the insistent, almost painful stimulation of her flesh.

Finally, Chakotay seemed satisfied with the lurid red-purple bruise she knew would mar her flesh when next she looked and he kissed his way down her collar bone, then lapping at the valley of flesh between her breasts, before nibbling his way over the soft mound, to swirl his skilled tongue around the overly aroused nipple, then drawing it into his mouth to suckle, encouraging milk that didn't yet exist to fill his mouth. Now a soft gasp of wonder escaped her lips as a flood of pleasure rushed through her, starting in her breast but encompassing her entire being. Her breasts had never been 'hot spots' for her before, but as her acceptance of her fate grew, her perception of herself expanded to include that fate. A wave of heat ran through her body, the product of the rush of arousal and embarrassment as she realized the thought of being pregnant turned her on. As the changes of her body stretching and expanding to nourish and spawn her young, her breasts filling with milk that could be taken either by her child or her lover passed through her mind, she whimpered and arched up into Chakotay's caress.

Without recognizing her reaction for what it was, Chakotay simply shifted his attention to her other breast, his tongue nimbly flicking and teasing the engorged nub before pulling it deep into his mouth, the rhythmic suction against her flesh, matching the rocking of his hips against hers, the head of his cock nudging and pressing against her distended clit. His hand cupped and squeezed the heated flesh as he massaged her tit gently as though he was milking her. Another stifled cry met his ears then her voice, soft and warm like fresh honey with none of the strident tones of earlier, whispered, "Now… please."

Chakotay pulled back and looked into Kathryn's eyes, his hand coming up to cup her chin. Some redness remained from the tears she had shed earlier, but she met his gaze evenly, and then nodded slightly. "Please…" she reiterated softly.

"Ask me Kathryn…" The fact that she had given him permission twice already didn't alleviate Chakotay's need to hear the words from her, all the words, again. Instead of the demanding, harsh tones from before, his voice was soft like velvet, low and inviting. His dark eyes begged her, though he wouldn't voice it.

A burst of affection rushed through her system as she looked up into his eyes, seeing what he wouldn't say. Setting aside everything else for the moment, knowing all the darkness, the anger, and the pain would still be there in the morning, Kathryn couldn't bring herself to allow her child to be conceived amidst all that. Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze, her blue eyes unclouded for the first time since this began. "Breed me, Chakotay," she purred softly. "Take me and keep taking me until a tricorder registers the new life growing inside of me."

Something primal took over in Chakotay, the drive to pass on his genetic code to the next generation, the need to claim his mate. Whatever you called it, at that moment it was everything and nothing to him. He pulled back, dragging his member through her folds once more, but this time it came to rest at the cleft of her sex, the spongy head pressing against the tender tissue. Once again covering her with his body, this time both a protective and possessive act, slowly he flexed his hips, driving the length of his member deep into her waiting sheath.

As her body stretched to accommodate him, Kathryn found herself pressing herself down against his cock, wanting to feel him sink to the root inside of her. She needed to feel her body breached right to the entrance of her womb. As each inch slowly sank deeper inside of her, she quaked and panted, eager now to feel him pump inside her, to feel the heat of his seed flooding her fertile uterus. As though he could feel her impatience, Chakotay pulled back once more and then punched forward again, his balls slapping against her ass as the head of his cock rammed into her cervix.

The sharp snap of pain from the initial penetration gave way to pleasure as Chakotay began to thrust. Swiveling his hips, his cock massaged all the hidden places inside of her, making her gasp and rear up to meet him. She clenched her muscles around him, squeezing and rippling around his thick shaft, milking him for the seed she wanted him to plant inside her. As her muscles worked around him, the throbbing in her clit increased each time she flexed combined with the steady pummeling of her cunt that Chakotay was providing, an explosion was building inside of her that would put her earlier orgasm to shame.

Any thoughts of her anger now were lost in the rising tide of ecstasy that both she and Chakotay were being engulfed by. Their bodies moved together in a rhythm all their own, fitting together perfectly, a dance that brought them together as one. Every movement transformed them, pushing them higher, closer to their release. Chakotay's member swelled further inside of Kathryn to fill every crevasse. The velvety lining of Kathryn's sex slid against his cock to create a delicious friction that made his balls tighten, and his seed began the climb up the length of his shaft.

The tingling in her limbs signaled the beginning of her orgasm for Kathryn. A slow gradual release began to overtake her body. "Oh god… Feels so good." Kathryn was dimly aware of how vocal she was being from some small part of her mind that was still in control. "Breed me… Make me swell up." A detached part of her mind recoiled at that thought but couldn't change what escaped her lips. "Keep me pregnant… Breasts full of milk." Her speech was garbled now by panting her body began to spasm. "Your brood mare… Lots of babies." The last word was drawn out into a squeal of pleasure as her body pitched over the edge into an orgasm that seemed to shatter her into a million pieces.

As Kathryn's words echoed in his ears, Chakotay's thrusts became harder, each stroke making his cock head batter at her cervix, an instinctive need to inject his semen as deep inside her as he could. Driven on by the passion in her voice and the longing in her words, his strokes came quicker. With her orgasm fast approaching, her body constricted around his cock almost painfully and then undulated over his length, drawing the seed from his balls and triggering his orgasm as a blinding white light exploded behind his eyes.

Kathryn felt the hot rush of seed flood against her cervix, just as it began to contract with the main part of her orgasm, drawing it deep into her womb. Something inside her clicked as she rode out the waves of bliss, she knew it had happened. A baby, her first born; there was no doubt in her mind now that she would have many more, was about to be conceived deep inside of her.

At first a wave of intense happiness and wonder flooded through her. She was going to be a mother. Finally, after giving up any hope, she was going to be a mother. Then just as she was about to give into the euphoria that wanted to claim her, Chakotay collapsed against her, making her arms strain in their sockets, the flash of pain reminding her of the reality of the situation.

Pregnant. She was pregnant, a captive aboard her own ship. Expected to breed with a man she had trusted and who had betrayed her. She was without even the basic rights that she had been raised to expect. As she felt her anger rising, a sudden wave of nausea welled up inside her. She had enjoyed what he had done to her. Shame colored her face as she remembered her words as she had orgasmed, writhing on his cock like a whore, begging him to do exactly what he had done, wanting to be bred, wanting to be his broodmare.

And now she would have to live with it. This was her life now, whether she liked it or not.

=/\=

Not long after it became common knowledge that Chakotay had moved into the Captain's quarters -- which was his due as he was now Captain -- and that Janeway was now his woman, the other women aboard slowly began to immerge from their cabins, approaching boyfriends they had previously spurned or seeking out mates from the available men.

To Harry's surprise, not only did Megan seek him out, but she brought Jenny with her. While neither of the girls was particularly pleased with the circumstances, Harry slowly courted both of them to get back into their good graces, before even suggesting going to see the Doctor. In recognition of the Ensign's desire to give the girls time to adjust, Chakotay had put them into the third group of women to have their contraceptive implants removed, which would give Harry about nine months to woo his lovely ladies before they had to get serious about anything.

The fact that Harry Kim had ended up with not one but both Delaney twins was a personal point of pride for Tom Paris, who claimed to have taught the boy everything he knew. This claim, of course, most often ended with B'Elanna declaring him a pig and pushing him into something hard, most often the deck or a bulkhead. At times, though, it was hard to tell whether she was punishing him, or issuing an invitation to mate. Her own advancing pregnancy was making her 'as insatiable as a targ bitch during rut'.

Both B'Elanna and Tuvok returned to duty, the latter re-establishing his friendship with Kathryn, and allowing her to talk through the betrayal and hurt that she was left with after the mutiny. The more she spoke to Tuvok, the more she became convinced that he knew something she didn't. Even in her direst moments, when she wanted to break away from Chakotay and pair off with either Tuvok or perhaps Neelix, someone she would feel more safe and in control with, Tuvok would counsel her to consider her options carefully, going through the pros and cons with her. Then, somehow, she would always end up staying with Chakotay.

After hearing how B'Elanna had reacted to the situation and considering both their ongoing pregnancies, Kathryn had sought the younger woman out to take up the void that had been left by Chakotay's betrayal. Having already gone through most of the stages that Kathryn was only approaching, B'Elanna commiserated and counseled Kathryn through the roughest spots over the first few months. From sitting with her and holding her hair out of the way as she lost her breakfast over the toilet to sharing the latest nasty concoction that their pregnancy cravings insisted they digest, B'Elanna made herself available day and night.

For Kathryn, as the months passed, she watched the ship transform into its new configuration, one both barely recognizable and strikingly familiar to the one it had been before the mutiny. Of course as time passed she barely recognized herself either. When B'Elanna and she had first come together, their favorite pastime had been to shred Chakotay to a million pieces with their words, their anger and venom seemingly unending. Surprisingly, Chakotay had taken her anger with quiet acceptance, going so far as to leave the bedroom to her while sleeping on a bedroll in the living room. It had confused her terribly and she had accused him of it being a plan to twist the situation to his advantage, but months passed and nothing had happened. The man who had tied her to the bed and made her his mate, seemingly having disappeared as her loyal friend had returned. When it became obvious that it wasn't what she had expected, Kathryn's curiosity had been piqued, but she had yet to discern what had triggered either transformation.

The most shocking transformation in herself was that she *missed* her mate. At first, she had only wanted to tear Chakotay to shreds when she saw him, but as time passed, she found herself longing for *him* to reappear. The closest Chakotay came to being him again was when they made appearances in public together. At those times she found herself leaning into him, hoping her proximity would prompt him to claim her once more. Instead she had her friend again, a friend that was doing his best to make her life happy and satisfying. Most of the time things between them were at least normal, but at others; becoming more frequent as Kathryn's hormones got the better of her making her ache for a man to pummel her sex, her frustration grew and she lashed out, hoping her attack would somehow bring him back to her. Instead she was faced with Chakotay's sad eyes and him giving her plenty of space.

Proximity was also becoming a problem as her hormones fluctuated wildly. Of course she hadn't left him to sleep on the floor past the second month. One night in a fit of concern, Kathryn had come out, taken his hand and led him back to the bedroom, demanding that he sleep on the bed. From that point on, he had shared her bed, and nothing else. As time passed, she had found herself moving from dreading he would make a move on her to dreading he wouldn't. Now she was almost ready to pin him to the bed and to fuck him raw, but she knew it wouldn't satisfy the need that had been awoken in her.

The other changes seemed to go hand in hand with her realizations about Chakotay. Slowly she had adjusted to the fact that her declarations of wanting to be bred, kept pregnant, to feel her breasts swollen with milk weren't some momentary aberration brought on by the situation. They were real needs and desires supplied by none other than Kathryn Janeway. These days, as she analyzed astronomical data gathered by Voyager's sensor arrays, she more often than not found herself gently caressing the small bulge that had started to show beneath her clothing. She would read aloud to her little one, sing softly to him, consult with him on what they should eat; reveling in her impending motherhood. Every day she watched for signs that she would have to switch to maternity clothing, though the one advantage of her civilian status was that she would never have to wear the god awful maternity uniform that had become the standard uniform for the other women on board. She looked forward to loosing sight of her feet, to waddling around the ship with her swollen stomach entering the room before she did. Her heart ached when she thought she might not be able to convince Chakotay to take her again. While her desire for children would probably drive her to find someone else to fill the void, what she truly wanted was her mate back in her bed.

Kathryn shook herself out of her morose thoughts as she made her way down to the mess hall to meet B'Elanna for their standing lunch date. The hallways were buzzing with conversation as they normally were when they were receiving transmissions from the Pathfinder array. Chakotay had promised that this time she would be allowed to speak to her mother again, though her time hadn't come up yet. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she thought of what her mother's reaction would be to her news. While all the details weren't necessary, she was certain that just the news that she was going to be a Grandmother again would be enough to make her mother's day.

She waved as she saw B'Elanna at her usual table and Neelix met her half way with a plate of some sort of fruit stew. She sniffed it experimentally and the scent, while sickly sweet to the rest of the crew, made her stomach rumble hungrily. One of the great advantages to being pregnant was that Neelix's cooking had suddenly become first rate. After a grateful nod towards her Talaxian friend, she was off again towards B'Elanna. As she settled down in her seat, one of the Maquis who still seemed to resent Kathryn even now let loose a remark that Chakotay should mark his bitch as his.

"Shut up you, P'taq." B'Elanna growled menacingly towards the man who had the good sense to move further away from the pair. "Ignore him. It's when I hear crap like that that I want to kill Chakotay all over again."

"It doesn't bother me, B'Elanna." Kathryn shrugged, but a shiver of desire ran up her spine at the thought. 'God I only wish he would.' She smiled reassuringly at her friend, and then turned her attention back to her dinner.

Shaking her head, B'Elanna growled. "It should, damn it… You got us this far. You deserve more respect than what they give you."

"If I'm not upset by it, then you shouldn't be either." Kathryn gave the Engineer a lopsided grin. "Besides, it's wonderful not having…" Her eyes widened and her hand moved to the bulge of her stomach.

B'Elanna moved towards her friend, a concerned look on her face. "Kathryn…"

At first, Kathryn didn't respond, waiting to see if the butterfly movement she had felt would reoccur. Then a more definite response happened. A foot or an elbow directly connected with her hand. "He moved…" A wide grin spread across Kathryn's face. "B'Elanna, my baby moved."

The concern was quickly replaced by a broad smile. "As much as I don't think he deserves it…" Kathryn focused a slight glare on B'Elanna. "… what the hell are you waiting for? Don't you want to tell Daddy?"

"Should I?" Kathryn felt a vague wariness at the idea of interrupting Chakotay's duties.

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Computer, locate Captain Chakotay."

"Captain Chakotay is in Astrometrics." The computer responded in its disinterested tone.

"What are you waiting for? Go. He's probably talking to my father-in0law, who'd love to know about your news as well." B'Elanna started steering Janeway towards the door.

Kathryn shook her head slightly. "I don't know B'Elanna. He may not want…"

"...Starfleet to know." B'Elanna snorted derisively. "They've already been told. I know; I did it. They said they'd review the reports. Now go…"

With that Kathryn found herself outside the mess hall, trotting towards the turbolift. Then after a swift ride there, moving as quickly as she could manage to catch Chakotay. Her breaths came in short pants as she noted that the security lock out was in effect. Without a second thought she punched in Chakotay's code and stepped through the door, hanging back to make certain that she didn't interrupt anything important.

An Admiral she didn't recognize was on the screen, looking down smugly at Chakotay. "It's good to hear you've brought her in line, Captain. Now just remember our deal. You keep her healthy and pregnant, along with the other females in your crew. You don't tell her about this little arrangement and you and your Maquis won't be tried when you get back here."

Chakotay snarled slightly, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't do this for us. You know that. I did it for Kathryn. No inquiry, no court martial, no jail time."

"That's right. You did it for your little woman." The smirk on the Admiral's face was intolerably arrogant. "Of course what do you take us for, heartless bastards? We wouldn't be so cruel as to separate a mother from her children, especially if she's been a compliant little brood mare."

Kathryn stood in shock as she took in the truth of what had happened aboard Voyager. Chakotay. Ordered. By Starfleet. Blackmailed. Her mind was having problems processing it all; the implications were so stunning to her.

"I still don't understand why…" Chakotay met the Admiral's gaze defiantly.

The Admiral's expression closed off, "And you don't need to. Starfleet Command out." The screen winked out and Chakotay's shoulders slumped drained from the conversation.

Stepping out from behind the half wall that separated the doorway from the rest of the room, Kathryn focused on the man left in front of her. "Chakotay…"

"Kathryn…" His expression quickly went from shock to worry. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough…" Her answer was terse.

Chakotay's brow furrowed. "I put my security seal on the door…"

"You think you're the only one who can memorize an override code?" Kathryn's eyebrow arched as she moved forward. "Care to fill me in on *exactly* what's gone on around here? It wasn't a mutiny, was it?"

Shaking his head, his eyes took on a look of real fear. Not fear of her, but fear for her. "You're not supposed to know."

Kathryn ignored his fear for the moment and started spelling it out for him. "Starfleet ordered you to do this. Somehow they affected the crew, incited this entire incident. Forced you to go along with it by threatening to court martial me when we got home… Am I at all close?"

A wan smile crossed his lips. "Dead on the mark as normal."

"Then there's only one question I need answered, why did you…" Kathryn started but Chakotay cut her off.

"I couldn't let you lead us back to the Alpha Quadrant when your life would have been forfeit. They were going to lock you up and throw away the key, Kathryn, and I know you wouldn't have allowed that from stopping you from taking…" Kathryn pressed a single digit against his lips to still his diatribe.

"That's not what I wanted to know…" Kathryn smiled slightly. "Why did you not tell me, Chakotay? We could have found some other way… At least I would have known that you hadn't betrayed me."

Chakotay reached out and stroked her cheek. "I didn't want you to loose your faith in Starfleet. I didn't want you to think you'd sacrificed so much to an organization that would use your crew as lab rats. Better you think that I…"

A small growl escaped Kathryn's throat as she started to back Chakotay up towards a wall. "Oh you stupid, stupid man." Chakotay ran out of space to back into, and Kathryn closed the distance between them, cupping his face between her hands. "You mean far more to me than Starfleet has ever meant to me."

Chakotay's eyes widened slightly then his expression fell. He'd lost everything, sacrificed any possibility with her to protect her and now he knew that she would have given it up for him. All that was left was to revert to the relationship that was hopefully salvageable. "It might take some work, Captain, but we should be able to find a way to get you back in command of Voyager."

A quirky grin crossed her face, "And why would I want that? I far prefer being the Captain's woman…" A shudder of frustration crossed her face. "If he'd make proper use of me…"

"Use…" Chakotay seemed to be having problems processing what she was telling him. "Captain's woman…" His brow furrowed. "Kathryn?"

Kathryn let out a frustrated sigh. "You *mean* more to me than Starfleet does, Chakotay. Present tense. I don't want to go back to being friends." She moved close to him, letting her pregnant belly press again his flat stomach. "Far be it from me to countermand Starfleet orders." She reached up and stroked his face. "I want to be your broodmare, Cha-ko-tay. I want you to keep me pregnant. I want to not see my feet again, until I can't have anymore babies." She laid her head against his chest. "You own me, Captain… I'm just waiting for you to brand me as yours."

A disbelieving look crossed Chakotay's face for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed. "So tonight if I pinned you down to my bed and fucked you hard…"

Kathryn whimpered slightly and closed her eyes. "Oh god, Chakotay, I’d be so grateful."

Suddenly she was pinned against the wall where he had been. He tipped her head to the side and ran his finger down the length of her neck. His voice was a little harsher now, "And if I haul your ass down to sickbay and have the Doctor put my tattoo on you…" He traced the pattern on her pale flesh. "Here?"

"Please." She looked up into his face, her eyes begging him to do precisely that.

Keeping a firm grip on her arm, Chakotay started to maneuver her towards the exit as he tapped his communicator. "Doctor, I'm bringing Kathryn down to you. There's a little issue of marking my property as mine."


End file.
